


i'm burning up (oh my!)

by 16_starz



Series: lupin's one shots | 2020 [1]
Category: Soul Eater
Genre: Attempt at Humor, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, How Do I Tag, Mutual Pining, One Shot, Paranoia, Pining, Platonic Cuddling, Romantic Friendship, Unresolved Romantic Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:47:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23567068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/16_starz/pseuds/16_starz
Summary: Maka didn't know when the jokes had stopped being jokes. Soul didn't know when the touching became more than platonic.━━━━━━━━ ⸙ ━━━━━━━━the title is from "curses" by the crane wives.
Relationships: Maka Albarn/Soul Eater Evans
Series: lupin's one shots | 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1696303
Comments: 1
Kudos: 68





	i'm burning up (oh my!)

**Author's Note:**

> eeeeee hello there! this is my first fanfiction on this website, so please go easy on me! i'm trying to figure out how this works.
> 
> also, i know it's outdated to write a soul eater fanfiction in 2020, but don't @ me, it's a really good show! i've also fallen in love with this dorks.

Maka didn't know when the jokes had stopped being jokes.

The initial confusion began long ago, about a few months into her partnership with Soul. They always made jokes about being in a relationship, but in recent time, they seemed more...intimate. Maka became more concerned with this. Soul and her were just friends...so why did they talk like they weren't friends?

Last Tuesday, Soul made a particular joke that made Maka's heart skip. 

She had watched a sparring happen between him and another student. It was scheduled behind Maka's back, and she didn't know about it until it was finished. It ended in a stalemate, or so she was told. That didn't stop Maka from making a beeline towards her partner to make sure he was okay.

"Soul!" She called out towards him, skidding to a stop next to her white-haired weapon. He looked like he had a rough battle—small patches of dirt on the sleeves of his jacket, a few patches on his face—and it wrenched her heart. "Are you okay?" She asked, her tone drenched in worry. At the moment, she wanted to hit Soul on the top of his head with the spine of her current book. But she completely ignored the scolding part of her mind. For now. Her partner's well-being was Maka's top priority.

"Hey, stop worrying 'bout me all the time, Maka," Soul chuckled lightly, shoving his left hand into his pocket. "Of course I'm okay. I wouldn't be concious if I wasn't.

"Plus, it's not like you can really help me if I was injured," he started, and leaned closer to Maka's ear, "what would you do, kiss my wounds better?"

WHACK!!

"Ow, jeez! What was that for?!" Soul's hands reached for the indent of Maka's book that she left on him. Maka grasped the hardcover book she used in her hands. "You didn't have to hit me!"

"Maybe you shouldn't make comments like that!" She retorted. Maka's face was dusted with a light pink blush. Something was off with that comment...why did he get so close to her for the punchline? Soul didn't need to get that close to her!

He arched up an eyebrow at his meister's strange behavior. "What's wrong with that, though? We make those jokes all the time." He challenged her with his instigation.

"It doesn't matter if we make those jokes at all," she answered, being snippy with her tone. "Just don't get that close to me again. That's all I ask."

Her partner responded with only a grunt, his hand tending to the welt that formed on his head. Maka sighed curtly, and took time to evaluate the moment in her head.

Soul was right, they did make jokes like that. There shouldn't be any harm in them; if anything, she should be used to them. Why was this one time different? There were many factors that answered that question, like how he got uncomfortably close to her ear. Just replaying that moment makes Maka's breath hitch in her throat, and shivers run down her spine—wait.

No, nonono, NO! Get those thoughts out! She mused to herself. You can't think of Soul like that, he's only joking with you!

...right?

Maka struggled throughout the rest of the day, trying to ignore the ghosting feeling of Soul's hot breath hitting her ear. This was not okay. Not at all.

━━━━━━━━ ⸙ ━━━━━━━━

Soul didn't know when the touching became more than platonic.

Sure, he knows certain actions and touches are platonic. The repetitive Maka Chops played in that factor a lot. But there were certain actions that made his mind (and heart) suddenly race. It's an odd feeling to put into words, because the best ways to describe it are all...stereotypical. And Soul isn't the kind of guy to be stereotypical.

He can't stop flashing back to a few lucky nights that he had when he was with Maka. Specifically, a Thursday night.

It was about two in the morning, usually an uneventful and ungodly hour to be up. But when Soul opened his bedroom door to go take a fat whizz, he eyes landed on Maka, sitting on the kitchen counter, holding a steaming mug, looking very wide awake.

Soul cocked an eyebrow at his meister, and cleared his throat. "'S the matter?" He asked casually, pacing his steps as he headed towards the bathroom. Maka usually never stood up late at night, unless something was bothering her. But she would've been in bed by at least midnight, even if something was bothering her. That obviously rang a few alarms in Soul's head.

Maka removed her gaze from the mug in her hands, and looked at Soul. "Oh, it's not anything big. I'll tell you when you're done taking care of business, though." She responded faintly, and Soul swallowed thickly. That's obviously not good.

He shuffled off into the bathroom, and shut the door behind him. He locked the door with a small click, and got down to business.

A couple minutes pass, and a flush can be heard from the bathroom's shut door, along with the sink being turned on. Soul pumped some honey-scented soap into his calloused hands, rubbing them together. He was trying to distract his mind from the fact that Maka could be having a mental breakdown by listening to the water and fixating on his hands.

He grabs the hand towel hanging on a hook by the sink, and dries his hands as he turns the sink off. He sighs, and looks in the mirror at his reflection. Just try to find out what's wrong with Maka, he gave himself directions. He breathes in through his nose, and unlocks the bathroom door. Soul's hand reached to turn off the light as he opened the door, but he wasn't expecting a visitor to wrap their arms around his body. 

He let out a small "oof" at the sudden impact, and stumbled with the new weight being added. He didn't need to put two and two together to figure out that it was Maka holding him captive.

Soul kept his balance, and looked down to see Maka holding him in an awfully tight hug. This wasn't unusual when he caught Maka breaking down, but she never held him this tight before.

He rested his now unoccupied hands on her upper back, and felt Maka shiver against his touch. Her forehead was resting against the crook of his neck, and she looked...almost miserable. Soul didn't need to see his meister's face in order to tell.

Her breath was shaky, and her fists balled up in Soul's thin t-shirt. Maka almost sounded like she had been crying. An alarm blared through Soul's mind, and he tried to hush her. "Hey, hey," he whispered, one hand moving up to rest behind her head. "It's okay, you're okay."

Her breathing was shaky, but with Soul's whispering and hold on her, her soul's wavelength began to relax, and her breathing slowed down, too.

"Now, can ya tell me what's eating at you?" He asked gruffly, like he wasn't trying to wake anybody up. But there was nobody else in the apartment, (besides maybe Blair, but she's still at work) so the quiet tone wasn't necessary.

Maka sniffled, her hands loosening the grip on Soul's t-shirt. "Uh...I just...had anothernightmare..." she muttered, a little shame in her voice. Soul picked up on this, almost immediately.

"Oh, Death, I'm sorry," he mumbled, holding his meister in his arms. "Do you...wanna lay down with me?" He offered, feeling his chest tighten. Most of the time, he didn't have to offer this option to Maka. Tonight just happened to be one of those nights...

She nodded briskly, and the two of them walked together to Soul's room. He kept a hold on her delicately, like she would break into a million little pieces if she bumped into the doorframe or the wall. Maka followed through helplessly with Soul's antics. "Y'know, you can just come into my room if you have a nightmare," he explained.

That night, Soul can vividly remember that he had to spoon with Maka in order to get her to sleep again. In the morning, (and two days after) there was a tension built between the two of them. There was no way in Hell that late night cuddling was anywhere near platonic. And the tension that followed the two of them at night was nowhere near cool.

...it might have been worth it.

**Author's Note:**

> heheh, cliffhanger.
> 
> this is still a oneshot, i swear! i just thought i would cut it off and leave you wondering >:)
> 
> please comment if you've seen and/or liked this!


End file.
